Dazed and Confused
by Randie Reigns
Summary: When her perfect marriage goes south, Ariana is desperate to save it. So desperate that she is willing to do something drastic to gain her husband's attention and that includes surprising him on his out of town business trip and she succeeded, but things are never what they seem and oh boy did everything go wrong.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This story is fiction. All the characters are fictional with borrowed names to comply with the fan fiction genre. They should not be confused with any person living or dead. I am not now nor have I ever been affiliated with any professional wrestler or wrestling company. No disrespect intended.

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New Story. Don't worry. More updates for all my stories are coming very soon. :)

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Chapter 1

There's no way I could ever forget the day I met Ramon. I was on my way to work and like every other day, we met up at Sango's, our favorite coffee house, but that day it had a big closed by the department of health sign on the door. Devastated was not the word. Do you know how many cups of that stuff we had consumed by then? But that's not important. What is important is that that sign is the reason we walked into the diner that day. It was across the street and we had all been late to work too many times. The coffee, oh it was terrible, but as I talked to Mary and Melissa about the new fall line our company was about to distribute, I caught a glimpse of him. I just paused. Mid-sentence, mid thought. I had never seen a more beautiful man. Dark, wavy hair that fell loosely to the middle of his back, chiseled features, at least a two day scruff accompanied a goatee and that tight tee shirt that seemed to cut into his bulging biceps and, oh my word that man had the largest pecks I had ever seen. He wasn't from my part of the world, he had that island look, dark skinned, tribal ink covering one arm, but his eyes. They were a complete surprise. A very light, pale blue. Almost grey when I'd expected brown.

"Ariana – girl you are drooling." The mixed race African American beauty that all guys in the office tripped all over themselves for on a daily basis, put a hand on my shoulder and followed my gaze. "Wow. I have to get me some of that." She was an eccentric to say the least. Her attitude was over powering some days – most days. She sure over shadowed me, they both did. I dipped my head and took my turn in line.

"Can I have an extra tall, caramel mocha please?" I knew when I beat and with those two I didn't have a chance in hell. Melissa had that gorgeous petite body, flawless mocha skin and Mary, she was a Brazilian model – enough said. "Thank you." I took my cup, rejoined my friends and took a sip of my drink. They were still gawking at the man, in their own seductive, making it obvious they were interested way and they got his attention. He glanced and gave a humble, flattered smile that made my knees weak. Then, he looked again, right at me and I – was – gone. It was my imagination, of course he was looking at all of us, mostly them, but I let myself indulge that small blandishment.

He finished his meal, alternating his gaze from his wallet to us, tossed out a tip and suavely walked our way. Geeze, he was so tall. I barely added up to his chest as he parted our group to pay his check and his backside wasn't half bad either. I was so enamored that I dropped my purse, the worn out clasp giving and all the contents spilled out, including a couple of tampons. I had never been more embarrassed. No – strike that. I didn't think I could be until the gorgeous man squatted to help me and handed me those damn tampons.

"Thank you." I know my face was the deepest shade of red imaginable. My hands shook and I was ready to bolt the moment everything had been collected.

"No problem." He said. "Hey, you got a phone number?"

"Um," I stuttered and I giggled and made a complete fool of myself. I had always been a pretty smart woman. I was good with words, I was a writer for goodness sakes and I couldn't form anything that made any sense.

"I'm sorry. I know I put you on the spot." He chuckled. "I'm Ramon."

"Arianna."

"I heard." He laughed and he pulled out his cell phone ready to take my digits. And from that day on we were together all the time. He was funny and romantic and it was perfect. Our wedding was perfect. So, needless to say, it was a complete surprise three years later that our marriage was anything but perfect.

Ramon was a head hunter in at a successful company and I rarely saw him that tee shirt. Just expensive Armani and his wild hair always slicked back and tied at the nape. The once sweet man that I had spent half the night talking to was suddenly distant and cold. All business in and out of the office. We argued. He could be mean. Really hateful, so I moved out of our three story Victorian. We talked on the phone and he asked me to come home, but I just wasn't getting the response out of him I wanted. He didn't seem to care if I came back or not. I couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. When everything had fallen apart. He seemed bored, but I knew I was still in love with him.

So, after countless hours of sobbing to my best friends, I took their advice. I was going to do something daring, something so outrageous, something completely uncharacteristic of myself and I was going to bring my marriage back to life.

Ramon was out of town on business, wining and dining the best executives in the snazziest nightclub and I drove two cities away to meet him at midnight.

He didn't know I was coming, but I was on a mission. In a red dress I borrowed from Melissa, a dress so short that my cheeks showed when I moved, I walked into the Starlight nightclub. I searched and then I saw him. The stress of our separation had apparently gotten to him too. He'd shed his suit and tie, his long hair was wild and he gulped whiskey shots and chased it with a beer. Ramon didn't drink the hard stuff. Ever. He only indulged the expensive, snooty things like the rest of his high class friends. So, I knew as I gazed at him in his black cargo pants and black tank that showed off those thick arms that I loved so much, that there was a chance. The sight of him still made me weak in the knees, but I was the conservative type, so it took a couple of courage shots for me to follow through.

I walked up to him, touched his shoulder and planted a kiss right on his lips. He was so shocked it took a moment for him to return my kiss and his rigid arms to relax and embrace me.

"Well, hello." He breathlessly commented and a big grin crossed his lips from ear to ear. I responded with another, dangerously passionate kiss, parting his lips and devilishly swirled her tongue against his. Oh, he tasted just as good as he had the first time they'd kissed.

"Um – Can I get a drink for the lady?" He obviously didn't know what to say, in fact they didn't do much talking at all except to order drink after drink. They spent the rest of the night on the less crowded second floor, comfortable molded together in a bean bag lounger that had strips of velvet curtains hanging around it. His hands were all over, like they hadn't been since we'd first begun dating. They were both so drunk, because Ramon had always been the private type, never going too far with his affection in public, but that night, his wandering touch slipped beneath my dress, caressed my thighs and his lips softly explored my neck, making me moan. He cupped my breasts, stroking the thin material above the sensitive bud just the way he knew drove me crazy. Our making out turned serious quickly and before long the liquor had overcome us. We weren't thinking and soon we were lying down and he pulled my leg over his hip. Our hips thrusted against each other.

"Here?" I asked when his hand dipped low and I heard him undo his zipper. I couldn't believe it.  
"Yeah, here." He said in a hungry growl. "I can't wait any longer." I had assumed he would eventually take my hand and take me back to his hotel room, but he wanted me right then, right there and it didn't take him long after releasing his manhood to conquer me. "Exciting isn't it?" He purred into my ear, his thrusts sending me to heights I had never reached before. "It's what you were wanting right?" It was. It really was. There was just something about being caught and thrown out of the nightclub at any moment that made the moment thrilling and it aided the orgasm that jolted through me, making me shiver and shake beneath his thrusts.

After it was over I clung to him, our perspiration mixing together and our breaths still heated and uncontrolled.

"You got a phone number?" He asked and I had to laugh. It was as if we had been role playing the whole time and he'd stayed in character. Maybe that's exactly what our marriage had needed.  
"I think you'll find me if you really want me." I played along, grabbed my purse, gave him one last, passionate kiss and drove myself home, confident that everything was going to be okay.

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Please Review.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: This story is fiction. All the characters are fictional with borrowed names to comply with the fan fiction genre. They should not be confused with any person living or dead. I am not now nor have I ever been affiliated with any professional wrestler or wrestling company. No disrespect intended.

* * *

Thanks so much for the reviews and favs. Yall are awesome.

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Chapter 2

"You came back." Ramon was leaning against the kitchen counter when I arrived, sipping coffee and reading the newspaper like he did every morning. Dressed in his expensive suit and matching tie, his hair neatly pulled back. He was again the no non sense business man I was used to.  
"Did you think I wouldn't?" I couldn't stop smiling. I hadn't stopped smiling since that night in the club. I walked up to him, put my arms around his neck, stood on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his – tightly closed lips. He stared at me like I was crazy, gently guided me away by my upper arms and I was really confused. Things had been so wonderful.

"What's gotten into you?"

"I just thought things would be different after your business trip." I cleared my throat to force back the tears I felt and started cleaning up the kitchen. My routine morning as if I had never left. I really thought he'd give me that playful grin, that twinkling gaze, some kind of acknowledgement. I mean I had really put myself out there for him. I did things I would never do. I was the conservative, quiet kind of woman and suddenly the excitement faded and I felt embarrassed. Maybe he hadn't liked what I had done after all. He sure seemed to enjoy it at the time, but maybe after he'd sobered up and thought about what I had done, it had changed his perception of me. I suddenly felt chilled.

"It wasn't business. I have to get to the office." He grabbed his briefcase, his coffee pecked my cheek and headed for the door. "We'll talk later. Oh – air out the guest room. My brother's going to be staying with us a while."

"You're brother?" I had never met his brother. Not even at our wedding. The two rarely talked and I wasn't really sure how well they got along.

"Isn't he still deployed?" All I knew was that my husband's younger brother was in the military overseas somewhere.

"Not anymore. He's some kind of cop now, recently anyway. I don't have a clue what he's was doing before. His tour ended a year ago. I'll see you tonight." And he was out the door. Well, that explained it. Ramon was stressed and he was always a bit tense when he was stressed. He probably didn't get along with his brother, but his family had a strong belief. You do for family. I'd heard it a hundred times.

But that was okay. I had a new sexy lingerie outfit that would help that fun loving guy I had fallen in love with come out.

I busied myself, getting the room ready. It was a little dusty and I put some fresh linen on the bed, vacuumed, the usual. Then I started on dinner. I loved to cook, but it took all day to make the lavish meals that Ramon enjoyed. I didn't miss work at all. Ramon didn't want me to work, and I had plenty to do around the house. We only hired help when he threw a dinner party for his colleagues, but I still made all the food. It made him look good and I was happy I could help him that much in his climb to the top. He would be partner soon and when that day came I was sure I would see less and less of the uptight Ramon. His job meant a lot to him. He'd always worked really hard to get where he was. He didn't have anyone to give him a hand up. He started at the bottom. That's where he was when I had met him. A college graduate who was smarter than the mail room clerk job he'd been saddled with. Now, he was somebody. People wanted to be him, they feared him and they hung on his every word. Still, as I looked around at all the things he had accomplished in just four years, I found myself wishing I could trade it wall for that one room apartment where Ramon was down to Earth and material things didn't matter. Now, Ramon was all about appearances. The home, the cars, me. It all had to impress.

Ramon came home on time that night, the way he only did when we were throwing an important dinner party, only he didn't come in and go straight upstairs to change, throwing out reminders as he jetted through. He set his briefcase at the door and was undoing his tie as he headed to his favorite lounger, kicked off his shoes and kicked up his feet.

He definitely needed a drink, so I poured him a scotch and took it to him.  
"thanks." He took it and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He'd had a hard day. I knew him like my favorite book. I stood behind him and gently massaged his shoulders. They were so knotted and he moaned and laid his head back. That in itself let me know that things were getting better. I had been scared to touch him for months because he'd swatted me away so many times. I kneaded and rubbed until my hands were aching then I dared to rest my bottom on the arm of his chair. He rested his hand on my thigh and stared into my eyes.

"You know I love you, right?"

Ding dong. Interrupted by the doorbell.

"That's Roman." He groaned and it seemed to take him a great deal of effort to pull himself to his feet.

"I'm going to check on dinner." I told him and headed back to my work. I had a knack for baking, I could time things just right without a timer or constantly checking. I just knew. I heard the two talking low in the joining room. It seemed pleasant. Not the happy reaction I would have given my little sister if she had been gone for years, but they were men. I poured myself a glass of wine. Meeting new people never made me nervous. And Roman, he was family.

Of course, Ramon had to escort his brother through a few other rooms of the home first, showing off his prized possessions like he did with all our guests, then I heard them head upstairs. I set the table, poured another glass of wine and began carrying bowls of salad out. My roast had a few more minutes, so I waited for him.

"And this is the kitchen." They came around the half wall that secluded the kitchen from the rest of the house. "And this is my wife, Ariana."

And my wine glass fell from my hand, shattering on the tile beneath my feet.

"Ariana?" Ramon narrowed his eyes at my clumsiness.

"I'm fine." I bent down to pick up the shards. "You just never mentioned that you were twins." And he hadn't. Of course I was surprised. Who wouldn't be surprised to suddenly, unexpectantly see two of their husband. But it was Roman's dropped draw and wide eyes that caused me to feel sick to my stomach.

"We're twins." Ramon commented dryly, like it was nothing out the ordinary.

"Ariana." I stated with a nod. I didn't know what else to do. "It's nice to meet you." I knew she knew. I could see it written in her horrified expression. As if it weren't worth mentioning.

"You're – um everything I thought you'd be."

My hand shook as I touched his extended hand. I couldn't control it.

"Um – ah" I know I gave him a puzzled, dumbfounded gaze.

"Ramon was the one who always got the girls when we were younger."

"You're identical." I let out in a breathless, terrified whisper.

"Not as much as we used to be." Roman pulled me in slightly and winked. I assumed he was referring to the suits and slicked back hair my husband wore. Oh, I wanted to flee! I would have never imagined I had thrown myself at the wrong brother if Roman wasn't standing there in those same black cargo pants and black tank.

"Why don't you take a seat in the dining room?" I managed to put on my sweet, nothing out of the ordinary hostess act that I used for all our company, but as soon as they left the room I grabbed my knotted stomach and put a hand to my mouth.

"Oh my God." I mumbled over and over. I had cheated on my husband! With his brother! The one time I did something spontaneous and I ended up in the arms of a stranger. It all suddenly made sense. Why Raman had acted no different when I had come home. Why he still seemed distant and why I still felt ignored by him. He had acted like he didn't remember our night of wild abandonment. And it was because he really didn't know. He was never there! When I thought of how much we had done. How much of my body Roman had touched. I had slept with him – in the middle of a nightclub! I could feel my whole world crumbling around me. My marriage was already fragile and I knew there would be no resurrecting it by the end of the night. I wanted to slip to the floor and cry like a baby. I still loved my husband, even if he didn't act like he still loved me. If we were a happy couple, if everything was still as it had been in the beginning, I would say that Ramon would understand. No matter the circumstances, I believed that Ramon was looking for a way out and he would use this against me. I knew he would. There was no hope. They were brothers. Twins. There was no way Roman wouldn't tell Ramon what had happened between us.

I had to get it together. I got the roast out the oven, placed it a serving platter and casually walked into the dining room and set it in the middle of the table. Roman immediately stood. I remembered when Ramon used to do that. I also remembered how he used to pull out my chair for me.

"That's not necessary." But I was flattered. Glad that he offered some kind of respect towards me after what I had done. All Ramon did was hand me his plate so I could serve him. I caught Roman's raised brow as he watched what had become routine for me. Okay, maybe I was a door mat. I loved Ramon. I fixed his plate every night. I fetched his drinks, his shoes, massaged him and anything else he asked for without question. Hell, I'd even canceled doctor's appointments to run forgotten papers to his office and I was glad to do it. He had my heart. He worked so hard and provided well for us. He deserved that much.

I was quiet through dinner. I sipped – no gulped my wine as the brother's caught up on what they had been doing. It seemed Roman's tour had ended more than a year before and he'd floated from job to job until he was recruited for a special task force in our town and was sent to the police academy to earn his badge.

"So I take it there's no woman in your life?"

"There was this one woman. I met her at the nightclub after you left. Threw herself at me."

I downed the glass of wine I had just poured. Drank it so fast I was out of breath by the time I finished it. I caught Roman's mischievous smirk and all I could do is wait for the shot to be fired. Any moment my whole world would come tumbling down.

"I see you're still into cheap and easy." Ramon commented and I took offense. I glared at him hatefully. Not that he ever gazed in my direction to see it. "I'm guessing you made good use out of the room I rented for you." Ramon spat in a disapproving growl.  
"We didn't make it to the room." Roman eyed me again with that grin.

"Well, that's you, Roman. You standards never were very high." Ramon chuckled. "As long as they are female, right? Isn't' that what you used to say?" Ramon managed to make me feel worse. I felt cheap. I felt like the lowest of the low. And as I sat there listening to my husband's views on public intimacy, I wondered how I could have made the mistake. I should have known better. Ramon would have never showed so much affection in public. His hands would have never lifted my skirt and he damn sure wouldn't have made love to me on that bean bag chair despite the fact that we were the only ones on the second floor. Hell, he barely showed affection outside or bedroom door.

"Geeze. When did you start putting people down, Ramon? The woman I met was a classy chick. It's not always as black and white as you think."

"Yeah, it is. But what do you expect from a girl like that?"

"Excuse me." I wiped my mouth and got up from the table. "I'm not feeling so good suddenly." I nearly ran from the room. I don't know what hurt more, realizing that I had screwed the wrong man or listening to my husband's point a view about what I had done.

XXX

Well, that didn't go well. All I had wanted to do was find a subtle way to tell Ariana that I had really enjoyed that moment with her, but leave it to my brother. I wanted to reach across the table deck him. I really did. But I needed a place to stay for a few months, but I really felt horrible for Ariana. I knew the moment I had walked into my brother's kitchen what had happened. The poor thing had been trying to surprise her husband, desperately trying to reignite the flame. Ramon had told me that his wife had left. He didn't go into details. It hadn't seemed to bother him at all. I just assumed that things had been bad for some time and she'd finally left him for another man. I mean it seemed pretty obvious. I don't know when my brother started walking like he had as stick up his as and smelled something foul in the air, but it really ticked me off. He acted like he was better than me, his own brother.

After dinner that night, I was almost glad that I had screwed his wife. The pour woman was his door mat. I hadn't seen him give her a loving gaze or a soft touch since I walked through the door. And why the hell did he keep the something as important as being a twin a secret from his wife? Oh, I knew why. I knew exactly why, but I didn't feel like thinking about it.

Ramon retired early that night. I guess he didn't think he had to play the gracious host for me. How do you like that? Haven't seen the guy in six years and all he does is look down his nose at me like I'm was trash. He used to be a fun guy. Once, we were inseparable and we'd had a lot of good times, sometimes too good. Somewhere down the line, he'd lost his spirit. He was all about his job, money and – things.

"You didn't have to do that." I turned slightly at the sound of Ariana's voice then went back to rinsing the dishes and placing them in the dishwasher.

"I don't mind." I insisted. She looked tired. No, actually, she looked like she'd been crying. She'd tried to cover it up, applying new make-up, but I could still see the blood shot eyes. "I'm really sorry." I owed her that. I should have carried on more of a conversation with her that night. If I had, the truth would have been obvious, first to me, then I could have explained it to her and it would have never gone as far as it did. Now, she was tormented.

The next day, Ariana still walked around like she was in a trance. Of course she was up early, dressed like a beauty queen, the very picture of perfection and a full breakfast was on the table by the time Raman and I descended the stairs. I was impressed with the spread. She'd cooked the whole nine yards. Eggs, sausage, bacon, biscuits, gravy and an assortment of fruit all cut up and placed in bowls sat beside each plate. I remember thinking, damn my brother sure was a lucky son of a bitch. Ariana was sweet, gorgeous and she cooked like that, not to mention I knew firsthand how good she was in bed. I had never been jealous of my twin before, but after walking into his home and realizing that the woman I had fantasized about for two days was his wife. To make matters worse, he didn't appreciate it. As I sat at the table, loading up my plate, I watched Ramon pop a piece of canalope in his mouth.

"It's sour." He complained, then grabbed piece of toast and stuck the paper she had neatly folded up beside his place setting and put it under his arm. He glanced at his watch. "I'll be home late." He spoke so – unemotionally. Like he was talking to his secretary. He didn't even kiss her lips as he picked up his briefcase, claimed his keys from the bowl by the door and walked out.

But it sure explained why she'd seemed so hungry for my touch that night. She was starving. Ramon ignored her and from the way she picked at her food and held her head up with an elbow on the table, I knew he broke her heart on a daily.

"I should get going too. I don't want to be late on my first day." I picked up my plate and headed to the sink.

"I can get that." She said like she was some kind of robot. She stood to take the plate from me.

"Ariana, you don't have to wait on me. I'm good." I smiled. She gazed at me with tears in her eyes then.

"I guess we have to talk." But I could tell she really didn't want to talk about it. "I am so sorry." And she sobbed hysterically. "I didn't mean – I – I?"

I put down the dishes and gently cupped my hand to her soft cheek, tilted her chin to so she had to look at me.

"Stop." I stated with authority. "And that's the only thing I'm ever going to say about Friday night."

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Please Review.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: This story is fiction. All the characters are fictional with borrowed names to comply with the fan fiction genre. They should not be confused with any person living or dead. I am not now nor have I ever been affiliated with any professional wrestler or wrestling company. No disrespect intended.

* * *

Thanks so much for the reviews, favs and follows. :)

* * *

Chapter 3

My new job fit me perfectly. Finally, I found a place where my military experience was useful. I could sit and talk all day about how difficult it was for me to find a job after coming home from war, but I'm going to make it short and sweet by saying I was used to bashing heads and kicking ass. That wasn't the greatest asset to possess flipping burgers while some snotty nosed high school kid screamed orders in my ear. My first day was amazing. I came home with a big smile on my face.

"Looks like you had a good day." Ariana had no emotion in her voice and that drained the excitement.

"Yeah, well. There's just something about the sound of splintering wood that gets me going." I told her.

"Splintering wood?"

"Kicking doors in baby." Ariana glanced up quickly and I bit my lip. It was just the way I talked to women. "Um – drug raid." I quickly said hoping to ease the awkward moment. "So, tonight, I was thinking that I – would cook – for you." I grabbed her apron from the hook. It was a frilly thing, white with red trim, but I stuck it over my head and tied it around my waist anyway. Hey, I know I'm all man, so wearing something like that isn't going to bother me.

"Oh, Ramon wouldn't like that." She said quickly.

"Ramon can just get over it. Besides he loves brick over pizzas. And I know that hasn't changed." I pointed to the over built into the adjacent wall. Just like what we talked about building as kids. "And he loves mine."

"He's not coming home at dinner time." She sighed. "He's got a meeting with some math genius."

"Oh, well at least he called and told you." I still busied myself in the kitchen. This chick had everything imaginable stocked. I found everything I wanted and she was so neat and organized – until I opened a drawer that was so full it barely opened.

"His secretary told me – that's my junk drawer." She seemed a bit embarrassed, maybe combined with a hint of worry.

"Who doesn't have one of those?" There was so much crap in that drawer. It was one of those deep drawers and it was easy to see it was where she threw everything when she was cleaning up. I chuckled. The organized perfection was Ramon's deal and I was starting to think she was his perfectly trained slave. "His secretary?"

"Raina." She said.

"Young, pretty and dumb, right?"

"Bleach blond and perky." She added with a slight giggle, then she gulped down her wine. I had a feeling it wasn't her first glass of the day. Her eyes were way too glossy. It was the one expression of hers I knew well.

I cooked for the two of us and we sat together at the counter on the two bar stools and ate. Man it was amazing how easily we talked to each other. Even with the uncomfortable secret we shared, but her laugh, it wasn't as carefree as it had been at the nightclub. She would giggle slightly and glance at the clock, then sigh sadly, then force a smile. She tried really hard to be the polite hostess. I didn't like that. I wanted her to be real with me. I didn't want her putting on an act just because it was proper.

"You're a good cook, Roman." She complimented, then started cleaning up the kitchen. Her phone went off before she finished and I watched her read a text. She dried her hands on the dish cloth, then pulled out a pan. "Ramon is on his way."

I glanced at her phone. Okay, so I was a bit nosey, but I was curious about the things my brother said that won him such a wonderful woman.

After reading the text, I didn't get how he still had Ariana. The man had sent his dinner order like she was some take out restaurant. No I love you, see you soon, nothing. Was she his wife or his maid? He didn't even send it! It had come from Raina. I watched that shit for about two months.

"I know what you're going to say." Ramon asked me to stop by his office on my lunch break after a couple of months. I must say the confusion on his employees face when I walked through was a trip. If they knew Ramon had a brother, I could tell they sure wasn't expecting me, strolling through, still in my bullet proof vest and gun clipped to my belt. I was on duty, so you know. "Don't worry, I've been looking and I'm going to take that condo on the lake." It was a bit pricey for my liking. I could afford it, but I wasn't sure it would suit me.

"That's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Well, I don't want you to think I'm freeloading."

"Actually, Roman, I was hoping to talk you into sticking around a while longer." I had to clean out my ears. Ramon had done nothing but act like I was an inconvenience the entire time I had been there. "I'm sorry I haven't been much company lately. It's nothing personal. This job, it's just a lot more stress than I imagined. And with the new promotion – I'm going to be on the road a lot more. I don't want to leave Ariana alone." So he did care about his wife. "I'd feel better if I knew you were there while I'm gone. I'll be could be gone a couple weeks to a month this next time."

"Maybe you should talk to your wife." I sat in the chair and kicked up my feet on his desk. If he didn't like it, he chose not to address it. "You're losing her, you know."

"I'm doing all of this so I can retire early." He told me. "I want to take her to all those places she wants to see so badly."

"You're not going to make it that far bro." I informed him. "Not the way you've been treating her. It may be none of my business, but we've always looked out for each other. I'm just giving you the heads up. I'm not the only one who's been searching for a new place."

Ramon sat forward and touched a hand to his lips. He ran a hand over his face.

"I don't want to lose her. I just need a few more weeks. Just long enough to get this promotion."

"There's more to life than money."

"Maybe you can help me out. Like we used to."

"We're not kids anymore." I told him. Yeah, we used to switch places when we were younger. Ramon was terrible about booking dates with two girls on the same night, but neither one of them were ever disappointed. "And this is your wife. Not some girl you just met."

"You're right. We can't really play that game with Ariana. She'd probably know it was you anyway."

XXX

"Feel like playing?" Roman sat down across from me at the patio table and shuffled a deck of cards. Six months had passed since Roman had come to live with us. He worked a lot. His job was dangerous, but he was almost always home on time, unless he got tied up with a complicated raid, but Ramon, he was gone twice as often. His business trips were more frequent and lasted longer. It wasn't unusual for me to feel depressed, but that day – it was our anniversary. Four years and I had yet to hear from Roman. Not a call, a text, roses – he always sent me roses on our anniversary. One for each year, but so far, nothing. I called him. I called him several times, but for some reason he'd begun to leave his cell phone with Raina when he was in the office. Each time I called, she told me Ramon couldn't be disturbed and she promised to give him the message.

"Well, I know my phone won't be ringing today. I finally earned my paid time off and I decided to take as soon as it hit the books." Roman chatted. I didn't really spend a lot of time with him even though he was home. He did his thing, I did mine. We ate together, chatted politely, but that was the extent of it. It was nice not to be alone in that big house all the time, but I was still lonely. I don't know why I didn't just pack my bags and leave again. I guess I still had some hope. Every time I was ready to walk out that door he would give me that smile and I just had to keep trying.

That night I crawled into bed alone. I hadn't seen him all day. Hadn't talked to him all day. I wasn't disappointed that we hadn't gone out or celebrated like we normally would. No, I was upset that he had forgotten. He came in about a half hour later. I laid with my back to him. I didn't even look at him. He crawled into bed and turned away from me. That hurt. It really hurt.

XXX

I couldn't do it. Listening to Ariana's sobs was more than I could take. It was the second time I slept beside her so she wouldn't know that Ramon had spent the night working in the office. Every other time I just laid on my side and went to sleep, but this time, something was really wrong. I got close and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her small frame as close to me as I could get her.

"You forgot." She sniffed.

"Forgot what, sweetheart?" I had never opened my mouth before. I just slept, woke early and got the hell out of there. As she flung my arms away that night, I really wondered why the hell I was covering for my brother.

"It's our anniversary!" she said as she got out of the bed, exposing a sexy white lace teddy.

"I'm sorry." It was all I could say. Damn I didn't want to be there. I didn't want to be the one dealing with the mess my brother had caused.

"That's it? That's all you have to say?" She slipped on a robe and crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know why I keep doing this to myself. You obviously don't love me anymore." I hung my head. "I see your brother more than I see you. I talk to your secretary more than I talk to you. What kind of relationship is that? Would you even notice if I wasn't here?"

"I would notice." And I really would. Ariana was a wonderful woman. She was sweet and caring. I loved everything about her. I liked to watch her walk. Laugh, which she rarely did and I thought she was gorgeous. The most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. It wasn't easy for me to lay next to her at night. Not knowing she would give into me believing I was Ramon. I wanted her. I wanted her bad. It was a feeling I had never felt before.

"It's over." She whispered and the tears began to roll down her cheeks. "I just can't do it anymore." And that was what I was supposed to be preventing. Ramon was stuck in his career and he had wanted me to help him keep his wife until he could make it up to her. I was a fool. I hated myself right then for being a loyal brother. I'd had so many opportunities to swoop in and steal her from him, but stayed to myself. Stayed away from her so I wouldn't solicit her affection. I knew it would only be natural for her to develop feelings for me. She was alone all the time and I knew she was attracted to me. I was the mirror image of her husband.

Right then, I wanted to let her walk out on Ramon. So I could be her shoulder to cry on.

But instead, I got out of bed, placed my arms around her.

"It's just work baby." I repeated Ramon's words. "They are pushing me to my limits. And I have to do it. I'm not the only one competing for this promotion. It will be over soon and everything will be back the way it was before. I promise."

"I want to believe you." She sobbed against my chest. "I really do." I lifted her chin.

"I want to give you everything."

"The only thing I ever wanted is you. I don't care about all this crap. None of it is worth the distance that's grown between us." I couldn't stop myself from kissing her lips just then. I'd always thought that the money was important to her. Not as much as it was to Ramon, but it mattered, but I realized it didn't. That she was so in love with my brother that she had been willing to make his dreams her dreams. Her body fell into mine almost instantly. She was starved for affection, for a touch from her husband and I was starved for her. That night at the club was always on my mind and it was then as I lowered her to the bed. Her hands softly caressing my back felt so good, but when she tried to lift my shirt I had to grab her hands to stop her. As much as I wanted to get lost in the moment I couldn't, knowing that if she removed my shirt, my identity would be blown. My brother and I were no longer completely identical. War had left me scarred. The remnants of a blade that had cut me from shoulder to kidney. A thick ugly scar that Ariana didn't need to see. She gazed at me with a puzzled expression. I covered with a playful smirk and held her hands to the bed. Then I heard a creak in the hall way. I kissed her lips.

"I'll be right back."

Ramon was waiting for me right outside the door.

"That isn't what I meant when I wanted you to sleep next to my wife at night." He snarled.

"She was about to leave you." I spat. "By the way, it's your anniversary." We traded clothes and I went off to my room and took a cold shower. Then laid on my own bed, envious of my brother who got to finish what I had started with Ariana. I couldn't do this anymore.

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	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: This story is fiction. All the characters are fictional with borrowed names to comply with the fan fiction genre. They should not be confused with any person living or dead. I am not now nor have I ever been affiliated with any professional wrestler or wrestling company. No disrespect intended.

* * *

Thanks so much for the reviews, favs and follows. :)

* * *

Chapter 4

"Good morning." I put my arms around Ramon's waist as he stood pouring himself a glass of juice from the fridge. The night before had turned out to be amazing. I hadn't made love to my husband in months, actually that night at the club had been the last time I had been intimate with him and that hadn't been him, it had been Roman.

Ramon chuckled, took a sip of his juice. I ran my fingertips down the crease in his back. I loved his back. I loved to feel all the muscles beneath my hands. I was so lucky that I didn't have one of those men that turned to mush after marriage.

"Ariana."

"Mmmm."

"I'm Roman." He turned to face me and grinned.

"I'm so sorry." I know my face had turned the deepest shade of red possible. "Your hair's pulled back and oh" I had never seen him without his shirt on before and the sight of the thick, long scar brought instant concern. I don't know how to explain it, but I felt the need to run my fingertips over the healed lash.

"It was a present from a terrorist I took out in Iran." His smile faded. I guess he thought I found him ugly after seeing it. It was a terrible mark, but I wouldn't let him turn away. Instead, for some strange reason I moved closer to him and I placed my lips to the mark.

"Uh, Ariana." Roman took my hands and gently moved me back. "Please, don't make this harder than it already is for me."

"What do you mean?"

"What's going on in here?" Ramon walked in wearing his full business suit and I felt foolish believing he would have been standing in the kitchen shirtless in his boxers. Wait, why was Roman standing in my kitchen in his boxers? Probably because it was four a.m. and he was usually the only one up at that hour. I really felt stupid.

"You guys are up early." Roman stated.

I doubt my husband really took a good look at us and I felt slightly upset that he wasn't mad. He should have been seething. Roman was in his underwear and I in my flimsy nightie that barely covered my bottom and my hands were in his. Why wasn't Ramon fuming?

"I got an early flight." Ramon opened his briefcase on the counter and began to organize his things. "I'll be back on Friday." It was Monday. "Don't forget we have that fundraiser ball. I'll only have time to change myself, so be ready." Then he gave me a quick peck on the cheek and he was gone.

"I really hate that quick kiss of his." I spat as I watched my husband back out of the drive way. "And I really hate this." I reached up and slipped the elastic band out of Roman's hair, making it fall wild and free the way I had always liked Ramon's. He stared at me seriously. Oh, I was so tempted to stand on my tiptoes and kiss him. I craved that kind of affection. Ramon's kisses the night before had been confusing. I didn't understand it. He'd kissed me with so much passion and had left the room for some reason. I guessed he wanted to be sure the alarm was set. He was a little OCD about that. But when he came back he went right to it, moving quick to gain what he wanted. His love making had been brisk and then he pecked my cheek and said goodnight, promising that everything was going to be perfect real soon. I rolled to my side and sighed. I hadn't gotten my release. I couldn't remember the last time he had gotten me that far in our love making. I ended up reminiscing about that night with Roman until I drifted off to sleep. I never thought I would be the type who would be tempted to cheat on my husband, but there I was wishing I could have one more night with his twin brother.

"I should get going." He said and slipped from the room and a few minutes later he walked out the door for his morning run.

XXX

I had a lot to think about. I pushed myself that morning to work out my frustrations. The way I felt about Ariana wasn't right. But neither was the way Ramon treated her. If she was someone else's wife, I would have stolen her. There would have been nothing to pull me back that morning. It was Ramon's own fault. He ignored her. He treated her like a slave. Even the strongest woman would fall into the arms of another man. Ariana was strong and she'd been faithful even though she deserved so much more. The woman was starved for affection and I hated that. I knew I could give her a better life. I knew I could make her happier. But I also knew I would always wonder if she truly loved me or if I was just the brother she settled for because she couldn't fully have the one she really loved.

When I returned, she was sitting on the patio crying. I felt responsible. I didn't want to hurt her.

"Oh, hey." She sniffed them back as I approached. "Did you have a nice run?"  
"Ariana." I sat in the chair across from her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She wiped away her tears. " I just don't like the person I am right now."

"You're not a bad person."

"You don't know what kinds of things I've been thinking, but I never thought I would end up sitting home alone on a Friday nights. I didn't do that before I was married."

"You won't be sitting home this Friday."

"No, but I'll still be alone." She sighed. "I walk in those parties on Ramon's arm, but after that I usually end up in a corner somewhere sipping champagne and watching him talk to his colleagues. I'm sorry. I'm sure you don't want to hear some chick whine about her failing marriage."

"I don't mind. I like talking to you."

XXX

I looked forward to Friday night. Even though I knew what I was going to be doing, the idea of getting dressed up in the new formal gown I had bought excited me. I hadn't spent much time with other people since we'd moved away from my home so Ramon could take his high paying job. I really missed my friends. Melissa had come to visit me when I had left Ramon, but since then I hadn't seen her. I talked to them a lot, but I wasn't everyday like it had been in the beginning. We weren't' as close. I could feel it.

As funny as it seemed, Roman was the closest to a best friend I had. Even though I didn't see him much. Especially since that morning in the kitchen. He was avoiding me. It was probably for the best. The more time I spent around him, the more I got to know him, the more my feelings for him grew.

"Ready?" Raman rushed past me and up the stairs the moment he came in and it took him more than an a half an hour to get ready himself. That was a little lengthy for him to change clothes, but I was preoccupied any way, wishing that Roman would come home from work before we left. I knew he would complement the form fitting red dress I wore.

"We got to go." Ramon rushed us out the door and into his waiting Bentley. He opened the door for me. He hadn't done that in a long time.

When we got to the party, I walked in with my arm threaded through his and just like all the other balls I found a corner table and sat. Ramon talked to his business friends and clients, but his eyes kept shifting to me.

"Would you like to dance?"

"Of course. Shane." The owner's son or the owner. I wasn't sure exactly how much his title had changed since I last saw him, but I knew he was important and I knew that Ramon had always insisted that I dance with him. He was a big deal and Ramon couldn't afford to give Shane any reason to despise him.

But Shane was drunker than I had ever seen him before on that particular night.

"When are you going to leave that husband of yours and run away with me?"

"You know that no one but Ramon can turn me on, Mr. McMahon." And for the third time, I slid his hand off my backside.

"How about Florence?" He bribed. "I know you've always wanted to see it. We can take my private jet. I'll send Ramon on a long business trip. He'll never know. I own a house …"

"I love my husband, Mr. McMahon."

"I'll make sure he gets that promotion."

"Excuse me?" Ramon walked up and put his hand on the small of my back. "Are you trying to blackmail my wife?" he put a hand on Shane's chest an backed him away with just a step.

"Choose your words wisely, Reigns." Shane spat. "I hear the unemployment line is really long these days."

"Whatever I have to say to you, I will say on Monday, in your father's office. This isn't a business affair as I recall and I'd like to spend the rest of it with my wife." He escorted me off the dance floor and into the bar where he ordered drinks for us."

I stared at him as we sipped. He tugged at his collar and tried to control angry heaves. The man was positively irate.

"Roman." I stated flatly. He stared at me with wide eyes, then let out a breathy chuckle and blushed.

"How did you know?"

"Because Ramon would have never spoken to his boss like that."

"He's only the boss's son. Ramon doesn't work for him and he can't fire him."

"No but he can influence his father not to give Ramon that promotion."

"Oh well. Ramon shouldn't be mad if he loses the promotion. He should be mad as hell at that jerk for trying to blackmail you like that."

"It never mattered before."

"Oh, come on. You're not really telling me that Ramon sits back and lets that jerk grope you like that."

"Every single affair I attend with him." I took a big swig of my drink. "So, where is my husband shacked up tonight?" Roman averted his eyes. "I already know he's cheating on me. I can smell Raina's cheap perfume on him."

XXX

Yeah, Ramon was cheating. I walked in on him earlier that day when he'd called and asked me to meet him. No one had been at the desk, so I'd just let myself in.

"Whoa!" I had said turning quickly and putting a hand up to shield my eye. "What the hell?"

Raina popped up from her knees and Ramon quickly zipped his pants.

"Give us a minute." He'd told his secretary and she'd walked passed me with a terrified expression on her face.

"I see what keeps you working so late." I spat. "Geeze, Ramon. You got a good woman at home."

"You don't have to tell me about Ariana, Roman. But I work long hours and men in my position need a little something to help ease the long nights." He sat at his desk and brushed it off like it was no big deal. "I know I can trust you to keep this between us."

"What did you want, Ramon?" I was disgusted with him by that point.

"I need you to take Ariana to that ball tonight. I have other plans." He grinned mischievously.

"What? With her?" I pointed at the skinny, petite woman that couldn't be more than half our age. "I've worked too hard for what I have to let some woman take half of it." I could also tell, he was crazy about that little girl and he was just biding his time before he would leave Ariana. I don't know why he was waiting, but I knew that money had everything to do with it.

He then gave me instructions and pointed out a few people I had to be sure to speak to. But I couldn't leave Ariana sitting in a corner all night by herself and I damn sure wasn't going to spend the night with those stuffy jerks Ramon called friends.

But I made a big mistake when I defended Ariana. Or maybe she had come to know me and brother so well, she just knew. Damn, and that was something only our mother could do.

We got plastered after that. We laughed and we carried on like a couple of college kids which led to a little game of truth or dare.

"The hell with the dare." She had giggled. "Only truths."

"Truth." I played along. "I really hate suits."

"I don't like them on you either." She giggled and loosened the tie I was wearing. I was never so glad to take off a jacket in my life. I unbutton the top two buttons and let out an exaggerated breath. "Whew! Now I can breathe."

"You're so crazy – Truth." She followed. "I haven't laughed this much in three years."

"Wow." Maybe I should have stopped the game right there, but I was having fun. We went back and forth with silly little truths about ourselves. She even removed the elastic band from my hair. "Now you." I teased her and tipped my glass towards the curly updo she wore and I was mesmerized as I watched her long blonde waves fall down her bare back and then it turned serious.

"Truth." She seemed sad as she traced the condensation on her glass. "My husband jerks away when I touch him." I saw the tears filling her eyes. I touched her shoulder.

"Truth – your third date with Ramon – was me." I hadn't seen her since and I had thought she looked familiar that night at the club, but it didn't come to me until I moved into her home. I had no idea that Ramon had married her and that was the reason why Ramon had never told her that I was his twin.

That made her laugh. I was glad to chase the tears away again.

"I slept with Ramon on our third date."

"You sure did." I chuckled and I know I was blushing. I had never admitted that to anyone. Not even my brother. It was the only time I had ever slept with one of his girls.

"Oh my God." She propped her head up with her hand and gave me a look that made me want to kiss her.

"Truth –" She broke off into a laugh again. "I'm a really cheap drunk." She played with her glass.

"That's what? You're third."

"Yes." And I picked up her empty glass and tipped it toward the bartender.

"Truth – I hadn't slept with a woman since I was deployed." I admitted.

"When was that?"

"The morning after that date. About six years." Her mouth dropped.

"But you stayed the night – so after you left?"

"I went straight to the base and climbed on a cargo plane."

"And that night at the club."

"Was the first time since." It was shocking for me when all the pieces fell together. Ariana was the only woman I had been with in almost six years and I honestly wasn't attracted to anyone else.

"Truth – oh – I can't say it." She turned away.

"Truth – I want to sleep with you again."

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	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: This story is fiction. All the characters are fictional with borrowed names to comply with the fan fiction genre. They should not be confused with any person living or dead. I am not now nor have I ever been affiliated with any professional wrestler or wrestling company. No disrespect intended.

* * *

Thanks so much for the reviews, favs and follows. :)

* * *

Chapter 5

I felt really cheated. That third date haunted me ever since Roman revealed that it had been him. That day I remember more than any other day in my relationship with Ramon. He'd shown up at my door with a dozen roses and we'd gone out to the same dinner we had gone to the previous two times. But when we got there he turned me around.

"This isn't good enough." He'd grinned menacingly. And I thought he was looking for a way to get rid of me in a hurry when he went up to the counter and ordered us a couple of burger plates to go. But I was so wrong. He drove us out to the peer and we sat on a blanket on the dock and ate with a flash light between us. It was almost like a candle lit dinner. We were really alone then. No room full of stranger chatting in the background, No waitress coming up to us. No phones ringing or bells dinging. I don't think we could have gotten to know each other so well if we'd stayed in that crowded diner. I loved the way he gazed at me. I loved the way he held my hand and when the night was over and he kissed me, I just fell apart and that kiss led to my bedroom. He was so gentle and attentive, not to mention the first man I had ever slept with. I knew that three dates was really too soon to go to bed with Ramon, but I just fell so hard that night. Nothing after that had been the same. Ramon was still amazing, but it was that one night that stayed in my mind and it only took a look or a moment to remind me of how wonderful Ramon could be. And after we got married, he became more aloof, less attentive. I was alone more. I couldn't talk to him and in the beginning he complained about things a lot. I couldn't do nothing right, but eventually, I guess I behaved the way he expected, because he wouldn't say anything. As I think about it, I was actually scared to disappoint him. I guess I still am.

After that ball, I found myself pacing my bedroom. I had fallen in love with Roman, not Ramon. Ramon had been a sneaky, underhanded.

I didn't know what to do. Or who I really loved. I was so confused. I wanted to confront him. I wanted to scream at him and tell him that I knew everything.

But when he came home the next day, he looked really sad. He came home early and he sat down at the bar and collapsed his head in his hand. I knew it was him because I knew Roman was in the back yard, swimming in the pool.

"I'm sorry." He said the moment I touched his shoulder and he embraced me around my waist and leaned his forehead against my shoulder. "I um – decked Shane today." He'd said. I guess Roman must have told him what had been said. It melted my heart that my husband had stood up for me, but I also knew that Roman hadn't told him that I knew that they had switched places.

After that day, Ramon was more attentive. Maybe his little floozy had dumped him. Whatever it was I had to push my feelings for Roman out of my mind. Ramon was the one I had married.

Our love making got better and better. He was home more and he was nicer. I was laughing more and I wasn't so scared of him when he had guests over. He complimented me. Oh, it was better than it had ever been.

"I was afraid I was going to be fired." He'd joked with his colleagues one night. "McMahon told me I had to apologize to Shane, but that is something that man will never get out of me. But maybe he'll think twice before trying to manipulate my wife into bed." He put his arm about my shoulders and kissed my cheek. "I'm might be a little jealous over her."

XXX

It was the hardest thing I had ever had to watch. Ramon had wronged me. He'd stolen Ariana from me. I'd thought that from the moment I walked into his home. Ariana had been the other woman that night I had filled in for my brother. He'd been cheating on the woman he had been living with for six months. I told him that I kind of liked Ariana and I asked him to send her contact information to me. And I only asked that after he'd told me he planned to break it off with her. I guess I know why he never sent it. I guess he'd finally seen what it only took me minutes to see.

It looked like the two were going to work things out. Ariana was happy. Ramon still had to go out of town from time to time. He still worked late nights. I wasn't sure if he was still cheating on her or not. He'd would have been stupid if he did.

I would have loved to tell her the whole truth, but she already knew and she had never confronted him.  
"Are you going to be home tonight?" He asked me, three months after he'd reconciled. "I want you to cover for me."

"Are you kidding me?" I growled.

"Can you do it or not."

"Yeah, I'll cover for you." And I did. I enjoyed being him completely. I kept the lights low, I moved quickly which I guess she was used to. AS long as I kept my shirt on, she never knew it was me. I know I was wrong to trick her that way, but I was crazy about her. I craved her touch. I was addicted to her kiss and I couldn't shake what I felt. I'm a horrible person, I know. But it I had accepted that it was the only way I could ever have her. And I repeated my deceit every time Ramon asked me to cover for him after that night.

XXX

I couldn't stop smiling. My life had been so wonderful. I couldn't get over the dramatic change. Ramon slept beside me almost every night. His trips away were less frequent. He brought me gifts. Complemented my cooking and told me how beautiful I was. I had never been happier in my life.

"Hi." I stood on my tip toes to kiss him. I had some big news and I had spent the entire day cooking the fanciest meal I could.

"What's all of this?" He chuckled as we sat down at the table. I had lit candles and bought a new dress in his favorite shade of blue, showing off my breasts and back just as he had always liked. He pulled out my chair for me as well.  
"I have something to tell you." I started as I made his plate.

"Oh yeah?"

"I'm pregnant." I couldn't contain my happiness. I felt so good, but Ramon, he just sat there. I thought he was stunned. Then his eyes grew dark and his expression was like stone.

"We agreed we didn't want kids." Actually, he made that decision.

"I know, but it happened." I shrugged. I knew he would come around. He had to. All he needed was a few moments to process the information.

"Whose is it?" He asked dryly.

"Yours, Ramon." I laughed it off. Of course it was his.

Whap!

I never expected that slap. It landed right across my cheek and knocked me from my chair. I sat on the floor in a heap, my hand on my cheek, tears rolling down my face and I was completely devastated and surprised.

"I had a vasectomy four years ago!" He screamed at me. I sat and shook my head as he jerked me up by my arm. "You cheating little bitch!"

"Ramon! Stop it!" I screamed as he struck me again. He shoved me across the room and my back hit the buffet table. It felt like I had been hit by a baseball bat. I didn't understand. I had never expected him to be so angry about me conceiving. I knew he didn't want kids but I also knew he was the only man I had been with. "Please!" I screamed as he jerked me this way and that, screaming in my face. I sobbed hysterically. Ramon had done a lot of things, but he had never struck me before.

"Who is he?" He demanded, shaking me, his grip on my upper arms so intense I felt like my arms would just pop off.

"There is no one else!" I pleaded with him but he didn't let up.

"What the hell are you doing?" A hand swung my husband around, forcing him to release me and I fell to the floor. Roman's punch wasn't pulled and it showed no mercy for his brother as it connected.

I sat on the floor balling my eyes out, barely able to breathe through my sobs. I couldn't imagine how bad it would have gotten if Roman hadn't come home. The two were fighting. Tackling each other. I watched my dining room torn apart and both men swung at each other, equally matched.

"Get out of my house!" For a moment Ramon got the upper hand. He snatched me by my hair, forced me to my feet and I was nearly dragged to the front door. He opened it and flung me out of my home, tossing my purse and keys out after me. "Go on!" The thunderous boom of his voice made me jump, but not as much as the door being slammed in my face.

I couldn't process what had happened. I heard the brothers screaming at each other inside. But I couldn't' figure it out. I know I had been faithful to my husband.

Everything had been slung out of my purse. I crawled on my hands and knees, gathering them. Still unable to calm desperate sobs. I hurt everywhere and it was hard to walk to my car. I finally got behind the wheel. I couldn't believe Ramon was denying his child. I just couldn't' believe he'd thrown me out just because he didn't want children. Unless – oh my God. Roman. It was the only explanation. He must have pretended to be my husband. How stupid could I have been not to know? I thought I had gotten to the point where I could tell them apart.

And then I was mad that Ramon had gotten a vasectomy behind my back. He'd never told me. I had always thought he would come around about having kids. It had been really hard for me to accept that I would never be a mother. It was something I had really wanted and Ramon knew that. But he'd made that decision and then the surgery.

I left that night and checked into a hotel room. My marriage was over. I had forgiven Ramon for a lot of things, but I couldn't forgive him for that night. I could understand his anger, but he hadn't even waited for an explanation. My confusion should have been enough for him to realize what had happened.

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	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: This story is fiction. All the characters are fictional with borrowed names to comply with the fan fiction genre. They should not be confused with any person living or dead. I am not now nor have I ever been affiliated with any professional wrestler or wrestling company. No disrespect intended.

* * *

Thanks so much for the reviews, favs and follows. :)

* * *

Chapter 6

I drove across town and back repeatedly looking for Ariana that night. I didn't know what had happened. Everything had seemed so good between them. Ramon had just raged without giving many details. I assumed that Ariana had confronted him about Raina, but I still couldn't get over my brother's violence. I couldn't understand how he could just throw her out of his home the way he had. The man had claimed to love her, but it sure didn't look like it to me.

Maybe I should have stayed out of it, but I cared for that woman. Ramon had beaten her so badly that I worried that I would find her passed out in a ditched somewhere or worse.

I was frantically searched, turned down one side road then another and I came up empty handed. So, I decided to head back home and see if she'd gone back. It made sense. She didn't have any clothes or anything with her. Ramon would have to let her have those, then I got scared all over again and stepped on the accelerator. All I could think about was what my brother might do to her if no one was around to stop him. Her car wasn't in the drive when I pulled up.

Ramon was sitting in living room kicked back like he didn't have a care in the world. He was laughing and talking to someone on the phone.

"Just a little bit longer, sweetie." He purred. I stormed in, making my presence known.

"I see you didn't waste any time." I hatefully spat. "Have you seen Ariana? Has she been back?"

"No. And she won't be coming back. I'm divorcing her."

"You're gonna regret that someday." I spat.  
"The woman's not as wonderful as you think. She's a pain in the ass and to be honest a bit of a bore." He ran his tongue over his lip.

"You shouldn't have hit her."  
"I wanted her gone." He revealed. "I tried everything else and she just didn't get the point."

"Why do you think I had you fill in for me? I didn't need you to lay in bed with her. I could have just stayed gone."

"What happened?"

"Oh, I'm sure she'll tell you. If she's smart enough to figure it out herself."

XXX

My car sputtered and stalled. I had been driving absentmindedly, taking turns that I had never taken before. I was just in a daze. My eyes so blinded by tears that I was shocked I hadn't wrecked. I dug into my purse for my phone and I stared at it. I had no family, no nearby friends. I always called Ramon when my car broke down, but I knew he wouldn't help me. I had already found out just how cold hearted my husband was that night.

"Open up." A man dressed in a police uniform rapped on my window, but I was immediately suspicious. His uniform was slightly wrinkled and his badge looked chipped. Plastic toy chipped. I locked my doors. "Open up!" He knocked harder as he was joined by three more men in plain clothes. They jerked on all my car door handles. The man who had first approached me was handed a tire iron and he smacked my window. I screamed as the glass rained over me. He reached inside, unlocked my door and reached inside, snatching my phone from my hand.

One of the others climbed into the passenger seat beside me and began to rifle through my purse.

"Rich bitch." The first one squatted and took the pendant of my diamond necklace in his hand, then jerked it from my neck. "What are you doing in this part of town, rich bitch. You lost?"

"Looks like someone already beat the hell out of her." He flicked my chin hard, then his hand landed on my thigh. "Don't worry, we're going to make it all better."

I remember the dark suddenly illuminating. A jacked up, black pickup truck pulled in behind my car and they scattered like flies as the driver jumped down.

"This is none of your concern, soldier boy, so why don't you get back in your truck and keep going." But they were ignored. I'll never forget how horrified I was when the first man pulled out his pistol and fired a shot, hitting Roman. I screamed, but Roman didn't fall or flinch. He dipped into his truck and pulled out a really big rifle and gave it a jolt with one arm. I'll never forget the sound of that click. The light caught the shield he wore on his belt.

"He's a filthy pig!" One of them screamed and they all fled.

I ran to Roman and threw myself into his arms.

"You okay?" He gazed at me, wiping the tears from beneath my eyes.

"He shot you." He had blood dripping from his bicep.  
"It's just a scratch." He insisted. "This isn't a very safe area, Ariana." He said.  
"I – I was just driving."

"I've been searching all the hotels for you. I finally had to call in a favor and track your cell phone."

"Ramon canceled my cards." I stated still dazed. I had driven to a hotel, but as soon as my card was swiped they informed me that they had been reported stolen. Ramon knew I never carried cash so I was stuck. I couldn't get a place to stay. I couldn't get gas for my car. For the first time in my life I was truly homeless wandering aimlessly for an entire day. I had parked on the bank of the pond that bordered our property the night before and I had woken up around ten the next morning, then I just drove trying to figure out what to do.

XXX

My brother was truly a cold hearted son of a bitch. Why the hell he felt the need to torture Ariana when he was the one who wanted out of their marriage made no sense to me. He'd thrown her out with nothing. He'd cast her to the wolves. Had he hoped she'd have an accident? Hoped someone would rob and murder her? I didn't put anything past him at that point. Burying Ariana would have been a lot easier than a messy court battle and it was probably cheaper too. I never thought I would ever see the day when I no longer wanted to associate with my twin, but as I stared at this sweet woman who hadn't done anything but bust her ass to please Ramon and the condition she was in because of him, I found myself hating him. I may have always been the black sheep of the family, but I didn't treat people like that and I didn't associate with his kind. Blood wasn't going to change that.

I rubbed her shoulders, placed my swat team jacket around her shoulders and escorted her to the passenger's side of my truck. I went to her car long enough to grab her purse then picked up my phone and called the impound lot to come get her car. I knew it would be safe there. I was shocked Ramon let her leave with that much.

I found a hotel room and escorted her inside. She didn't say anything. She just stared ahead. I left her long enough to gather my bags from the back of my truck along with the two cases I managed to sneak out of the house before Ramon stopped me. I don't think he realized I had already taken some her belongings or he surely would have snatched them from my truck.

Maybe my loyalty should have been to my brother. Family is supposed to be tight, but I couldn't do it. Not when I knew Ariana was the true victim in all of it.

When I returned, Ariana was lying on the bed, sobbing. I laid down behind her and embraced her.

"What happened?" Ramon hadn't told me any details, but I guessed he didn't like Ariana speaking up about Raina. He was the type of man that you just let do whatever he wanted and pretended it wasn't happening. I knew from our past that confronting him did nothing but piss him off.

"I know you switched places." She stated.

"Oh." I wondered if she had confronted him about that. I felt guilty. I knew I had betrayed her as well.

"I'm pregnant." I swallowed hard. I knew there was a possibility that the baby she carried was mine and Ramon probably didn't suspect. I had always been his loyal little brother as far as he knew. I also knew that my brother did not want kids. He didn't like being around them. They annoyed him and he hated how sticky their fingers always seemed to be. I wondered if Ariana had refused to get an abortion. I wondered if he had beat her in an attempt to make her miscarry.

"Ramon had a vasectomy." She stated as if she knew I was wondering if I would ever know if I was her child's father. We were identical. And there was a good chance that we would both be a match on a DNA test. "There were time when I suspected, but – then, I never thought you would trick me like that and Ramon would have been so mad if I had called him by your name."

"I couldn't help it." It was a poor excuse. I felt horrible. What happened the night before had completely been my fault. Ramon had beaten her because of me.

"Was it always Ramon's idea to switch – with your girls I mean?"

"I never asked Ramon to go on any of my dates for me." I told her honestly. "But I didn't take his place because he asked every time. Sometimes I snuck in just to be with you when I knew he was working late."

"I wish you had just told me. There were so many nights I wanted to be with you." When she said that I couldn't stop myself from turning her to face me. I cupped her face in my hands and I kissed her with more passion than I had ever kissed another woman. She kissed me then pulled away.

"No." she sobbed and pushed me away. "You're no better than him." And just as quickly as she had made it flutter, she broke my heart.

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	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: This story is fiction. All the characters are fictional with borrowed names to comply with the fan fiction genre. They should not be confused with any person living or dead. I am not now nor have I ever been affiliated with any professional wrestler or wrestling company. No disrespect intended.

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Thanks so much for the reviews, favs and follows. :)

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Chapter 7

All I wanted to do was get away from him and anything that reminded me of my husband. I locked myself in the bathroom and filled the large tub, turned on the jets and just slipped myself into it. Right then, I wasn't sure which brother I was in love with. Which one had I been in love with all those years? How could one date mean so much to one relationship? Part of me thought that memories of that night had made me blind to Ramon and his true ways, but another part of me believed that I only thought that because my marriage was in a bad place.

But every single time I was around Roman I saw the man I had had that date with. Ramon hadn't been that romantic since that date. He'd had his moments, but nothing ever made that kind of impression. Then I found out it hadn't been him at all. I wasn't sure what to think.

I thought about the recent past. Ramon usually came home and turned his back on me. Saying nothing to me. If it hadn't happened before Roman moved in, I would have assumed they had switched places. But Roman would have never growled at me when I moved close and embraced him from behind. And he would have never laid beside me without his shirt when he was impersonating his brother. There were other nights when he would come in and take me into his arms. Those night were so passionate that I was sure it was Roman. He never removed his shirt, yet Ramon always acted so fast, never removing more clothes that it took to get what he wanted that I wasn't sure. No, that's not true. I knew. I was just scared to confront him, fearing what would happen if I were wrong. I second guessed myself, believing it was my own lustful desires making me think that. And I would shake them away.

Now, I knew that I was probably correct. I could tell the two apart. Maybe not at first glance, but it didn't take long after. The way Roman looked at me was much softer than Ramon's gaze. He smiled, where Ramon only scowled.

As I laid there in that tub, I realized that Ramon had tricked me. He had wanted me for some reason. So, he'd sent in his brother to win my heart. Then I was forced to live wondering what had happened to that man for years until Roman showed up to reveal the truth. Maybe it wasn't that manipulative, but that's what went through my mind.

Roman knocked on the door. I ignored him. I knew what I wanted, but I just wanted to be mad. I guess my silence worried him because he busted the door in with his shoulder nearly falling from the force he used.

"Really?" I spat as I gazed at the splintered frame. He gave me that damn sheepish smile, then flung his long strands out of his face with a quick flick of his head and then he sat on the closed lid of the toilet.

"I thought you might have fallen asleep – slipped into the tub." He kept smiling. "It's not like I haven't seen you naked before."  
"Oh, you don't have to remind me." I rolled my eyes.

He appeared a little guilty to me and I could tell it was eating him alive.

"I don't usually do stuff like this." He whispered.

"You know what I really wish?" He shook his head. "I wish that I could be with you when you're not pretending to be Ramon."

"I wish you were my wife."  
"I should have been your wife, Roman."

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Please Review.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** The characters in my stories are completely made up characters and have temporally been given borrowed names for the sole purpose of satisfying the qualifications for posting on this fanfiction site. These stories are fiction and should be perceived as such. They in no way reflect the lives, beliefs or views of any persons living or dead and any similarities are coincidental. I am not affiliated with any company or professional wrestler in any way. No disrespect or copyright infringement intended. And if any of my favs happen upon my stories, I hope your not offended because this is not about you, it is about feedback on my story ideas. :) I love and respect what you do and I thank you for all the joy and entertainment over the years.

* * *

Sorry for the long delay guys. Here's a quick update. Thanks for reading. :)

* * *

Chapter 8

"What the hell is this?" Ramon stood at the intrusion. I busted in with a couple of uniformed city cops. I loved seeing the look on my brother's face. He stood their thinking he was in complete control. Thinking he had all the power in the world and I was glad to be the one to bring him down. No one was above the law.

"assault and battery." I said with a smirk. "It's against the law to beat up your wife in this state." I stepped to the side and let the two officers approach. I found satisfaction and a little joy watching them cuff Ramon and read him his rights.

"You tell that girlfriend of yours that she's going to wish she never pressed charges." Ramon growled.

"Is that a threat?" I joked with the officers. "That sounded like a threat to me."

And the judge thought so too when he revoked his bail the next morning.

Ramon's arrest gave me enough time to return to my home.

"He changed the locks." I felt defeated. There were so many things I wanted to retrieve. My clothes of course, some important documents and most of all, I wanted the antique jewelry box her grandmother left me. There was a lot of family heirlooms in it that I knew Ramon would try to take in our divorce. I was ready to give up, get in Roman's truck and leave.

I jumped the moment I heard the loud bang.

"Roman, you can't just kick in the door." I stated, worried that Roman would find himself behind bars.

"You're still his wife. This is still your home until the court says otherwise. It's not breaking and entering." He stood to the side and allowed me to go inside, but when I got inside I was shocked to find that Ramon had already cleaned out the house. Maybe that shouldn't have shocked me, but I was surprised to find that he had wiped three years of our life clean so quickly.

The only thing left was a pile of clothing he'd left in the middle of the bedroom floor. Things I had at the time we had met. Well, what I still possessed. I had given a lot of old things away over the years.

"Well, this is nice." I sighed. "What does he even need my clothes for? My makeup. He even took my tampons." I laughed. I couldn't help it. That man was a vindictive son of a bitch.

"Well, you can just start over." Roman tried to be supportive.

"Oh, no." I said with narrowed eyes. "Ramon is going to pay for everything he's done to me." I was angry. I was upset and I wasn't going to put up with Ramon's crap any more. "Do you know how much I gave up for that man?"

"Baby, calm down." Roman tried to put his arms around me.

"Don't touch me." I swatted him away. My husband may have been able to hide his sorry ass in a hole somewhere, avoiding me like the coward I knew he really was, but I had his identical twin right in front of me to take it out on. "You helped him do this."

I couldn't help how I felt. I looked at Roman and I saw Ramon. And Roman helped my husband trick me.

"Ariana." It broke his heart that I pushed him away, but I had to. I needed a clear mind and at that moment I just couldn't stand to look at him.

"Right now, I need to focus on this. And I don't need you clouding my judgment. I moving back to my home town. I'm going to get my old job back and I'm going nail Ramon's ass to the wall!" There was one thing Ramon never counted on. One thing that he didn't fit into his plans. I wasn't stupid. Not like the bimbo he was surely shacking up with. And I had friends. Friends that were lawyers and very good at their job.

A month later I felt more like myself. I walked into my old job. It felt like I was picking up exactly where I had left off. Except for the anger I carried around every day towards Ramon and the morning sickness. Other than that, I was fine. I directed models, approved photographs and articles for the magazine. I hung out with Mary and Melissa. We stopped for coffee at a new coffee shop every morning.

"Uh oh." Melissa pointed out as we looked over the pictures of a photoshoot that morning. "Your husband must have gotten his court papers."

"Ugh." I moaned. "It's not Ramon. It's his brother." I turned from the computer and confidently met him in the center of the room.

"You sent me a subpoena?" Roman asked flicking a paper. "To testify against my brother."

"You got a problem with that? Or does lying something else you two have in common."

"I'm just worried about you." Roman confessed. "Ramon's threatened me and I'm scared of what he might do to you if you don't back off."

"Why should I back off?" I spat. "You tell your brother that I'm not scared of him and I'm not backing down. He's just going to have to learn to support his little tramp with less money."

"Ariana, he's furious. He's" Roman leaned closer and lowered his voice. "He's talking about hiring people."

"What? He's going to have me killed? I don't think even he would stoop that low." I laughed. Ramon, risk being locked up in a dirty cell for the rest of his life? Yeah right. "And you're a cop. If you think he's serious …"

"It's not that simple." Roman told me.

"Why? Oh, because he's your brother." I said sarcastically. "Well, I'm so glad I decided not to get involved with you. I always knew you and him were in on the whole thing together."

"I'm not in this with him." Roman argued. "But I have no proof. All I have is a few threats and a not so secret love for his wife. You think I haven't tried. No one will listen to me. My boss said that my judgement is clouded because I'm in love with you."

"I don't think you know what that word means." I couldn't help it. I was angry at Ramon and I still saw my husband every time I saw Roman. I was reminded of the snake I had married. "I have to work." I hadn't seen Roman in a month and I think deep down I hoped that I would be happy to see him when I laid eyes on him again. But I couldn't think of the sweet things he had done with me. I could only think of the deception.

"I'm not my brother, Ariana. I hope someday you can look at me and not see him."

"Well, you liked being Ramon." I reminded him. "So how can I see you as anyone but him?"

I turned my back on him and went back to my work.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** The characters in my stories are completely made up characters and have temporally been given borrowed names for the sole purpose of satisfying the qualifications for posting on this fanfiction site. These stories are fiction and should be perceived as such. They in no way reflect the lives, beliefs or views of any persons living or dead and any similarities are coincidental. I am not affiliated with any company or professional wrestler in any way. No disrespect or copyright infringement intended. And if any of my favs happen upon my stories, I hope your not offended because this is not about you, it is about feedback on my story ideas. :) I love and respect what you do and I thank you for all the joy and entertainment over the years.

* * *

It took a long time, but I finally found a few more chapters for this. It will have one or two more chapters after this I think, unless some crazy idea hits me. Love you all and thank you for reading. :D

* * *

Chapter 9

I guess I should have taken what Roman said that day seriously. A week later I climbed into my car and headed toward my new home. I was half way there and stopped at a red light that I always seemed to get stuck at. The thing was the longest light I had ever encountered in my life and it really made no sense to me considering it was at a cross road in the country on a road that was rarely traveled. I glanced at my rear view as a car came up behind me. The light turned green and I turned my attention back to the road, ancipating the movment of the car in front of me, but it didn't move. It sat there. The guy in the passenger's seat got out and walked toward my passenger's side. My eyes were on him and what he was up to and I didn't notice the man walking up to the driver's door.

My doors were locked, so I looked around quickly for a small path to make my escape, but my door was opened and a gun was stuck to my head.

"Move over!" The man growled and I was completely terrified. He'd used the keylist entry code located on the outside of my car to get in. But how did he know it? How could he have gotten it? I had changed it from the default code the very day I had bought the car.

I wanted to think it was a random carjacking, but I knew better. Only one other person knew the code to my car – Ramon. I wiggled into the backseat, planning to jump for my life, but instead, my mouth was covered with a cloth and even though I fought, I could not keep my eyes from closing.

The shock of icy water hitting me like a thousand knives woke me and my lungs filled with water when I tried to take a breath. I felt panicked. I closed my mouth and gazed around. I didn't have much time. I was in the driver's seat, underwater. The door wouldn't open. The weight of the water was too much. Then I remembered something I had heard on a television show. I didn't normally believe anything I saw on fictional crime dramas but I was fighting for my life and I didn't have anything to loose. I hit the power button for my windows and it worked! There was just enough power left to open my window. I pulled myself out of the car and propelled myself up as fast as I could. I wasn't that deep in the water and I started to cough out the water in my lungs, clinging to the top of my sinking car until I could catch my breath, shocked that I had managed to survive.

My car started to sink faster and I swam away from it, knowing it could take me under with it. I caught sight of a sand bar just under a cliff. I looked up and saw the broken metal of the railing that my car had gone through. I swam to that place and laid down on the sand, exhausted. Still chocking on water from my lungs and I think I passed out again.

It was dark when I woke. I must have been out a really long time. I saw flashing lights on the cliff above me and got to my feet. I wasn't going to go away. I wasn't going to let Ramon win.

"Miss!" I was stopped the moment I tried to get close to the scene. There was no one around but a few cops. NO bystanders. Damn that man was stupid. You'd think he would have made one of his assassins wait and make sure I was dead. Maybe one of the cops was on his payroll.

"I'm not talking to anyone but Roman Reigns." I spat after telling them that it was my car that had gone through the railing. I don't know why, but for some reason I thought Roman, my husband's brother was the only one I could trust. For so long I feared he had been in on it all along, but the officer refused to call him for me or let me call him.

He called the chief instead making him leave his bed to come to the scene. Then I explained what had happened to him.

"No one is to write or speak about this accident or write a single report until I say otherwise." He informed all the men working the scene. And the next thing I knew I was sitting in a hotel room in another city. Even Roman didn't know where I had been taken.

"Everyone you know is going to think you're dead."

"What?"

"Roman has been coming to me with these tales for a long time and up until now I didn't believe him. But I don't want him to know you're alive. Not yet."

"If Roman's not part of it, then why can't he know?"

"Because he can't act, Ariana. I need him to feel raw emotion. The whole town knows your husband. He's not dumb. And he knows his twin well enough to know that something is going on."

XXX

I lost it the moment I heard the news. The chief called me into his office first thing that morning and made me sit.

"I – um – wanted to tell you before you heard it from one of your co-workers or the news." He got up from his chair and sat on the desk directly in front of me. " there was an accident. A woman – "

"Ariana." I stated with wide eyes begging my boss to tell me it wasn't her – or atleast that she was okay.

He shook his head.

"She lost control. Went through a guardrail and went off into the Boxstaff River. She's gone Roman. I'm so sorry."

"Please tell me you don't think this was just a random accident."

"That's all it was, Roman." He assured me.

"No! He ran her off the road. Or he paid someone to."

"There's no skid marks. Or evidence of any kind to suggest it."

"Then you're a fool." Only I didn't him a fool I called him every name in the book and I was sent home to cool off for two weeks.

But I demanded to see her even though they only let Ramon decide that.

"You want to see. I don't give a shit."

We were led to a room so cold I could barely take it and I watched as a door was opened a black bag was pulled out. They unzipped the bag.

The body was so swollen. So pale that I didn't recognize her. Her lips were blue and the only thing that looked untouched was her long blonde locks.

"Yeah, that's her." Ramon stuck his finger under the barrette stuck in the side of her hair, then let it drop. "She wore that thing all the time." He then turned to walk out, texting on his phone like nothing had happened.

"What that's it? She was your wife." I expected him to feel some kind of remorse. To feel a little sad to see the woman who had been with him so long dead.

"What do you want me to do, Roman? There's nothing I can do. The bitch is gone." And I belted him one in the mouth right there in morgue. Then I took that antique, butterfly clip out of Ariana's hair. It had been her grandmothers. She'd told me the whole story about how it had been given to her on her prom night. She did wear it all the time. Almost every day and I really just needed to have something that belonged to her. I touched her belly beneath the bag. They had only opened it enough to see her face. I had lost more than the woman I loved – I'd lost my entire future.

Ramon had a simple service for Ariana. Closed, cheap wood casket. No flowers on it. No pictures of her sitting nearby. The only flowers there were ones sent by her family and friends. I held a red rose in my hand. There had been no visitation. Only a grave side service and the eulogy was quick. Too quick and then I watched as Roman walked toward his car. He didn't even stand and accept everyone's condolences. Maybe everyone thought he was grieving behind his dark sunglasses but I knew the man didn't shed a tear. And Ariana had been good to him. She'd deserved that much from my brother.

I stayed until everyone had left. Then I stepped forward and dropped the red rose I had hoped to place inside her casket into the hole as she was lowered to her grave. I blamed myself. I should have quit my job. I should have followed her everywhere. Then maybe she would still be alive. I felt like I was as much to blame as my brother. She was right. I had helped him. Even if I didn't know his plans. I had helped him do it to her and now she was gone. I hated myself.

* * *

Please Review.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** The characters in my stories are completely made up characters and have temporally been given borrowed names for the sole purpose of satisfying the qualifications for posting on this fanfiction site. These stories are fiction and should be perceived as such. They in no way reflect the lives, beliefs or views of any persons living or dead and any similarities are coincidental. I am not affiliated with any company or professional wrestler in any way. No disrespect or copyright infringement intended. And if any of my favs happen upon my stories, I hope your not offended because this is not about you, it is about feedback on my story ideas. :) I love and respect what you do and I thank you for all the joy and entertainment over the years.

* * *

This is it. The last chapter. I'm sorry I made you all wait so long for the conclusion and I kinda hope I get the inspiration to rewrite this one soon. Love you all and thank you for reading. :D

* * *

Chapter 10

You never know what being alone really is until you've been hidden away for months. My belly had grown so big I didn't even recognize my figure and I really didn't think I would ever be a size five again. But every time I felt a kick, I knew it was going to be worth it. I just wished I could have shared it with Roman. I knew he would love to put his hand on my belly and feel the baby move. And worse, I couldn't go out of my room. Everything I needed or wanted was brought to me. Even the doctor that examined my condition. I don't even know what the police were up to or how long they planned to keep me there.

XXX

"Got him." Ramon's behavior had been his own undoing.

I didn't know there was an undercover team following my brother. They listened in on his phone conversations and two weeks after Ariana's funeral, they followed him to a cemetary out of town where they took picture of him exchanging money and recorded his conversation. He didn't come right out and say he'd hired the man to kill his wife, but why else would he meet a guy two towns away with a briefcase full of cash?

Still, the prosecutor only had circumstantial evidence against Ramon. I don't know why they even bothered to arrest him. I was allowed to help with the search. I tore his home with his new girlfriend apart looking for any shred of evidence. The only thing I managed to find was a jewelry box that I knew did not belong to that slut my brother shacked up with. It had a name on it. One I didn't know. Elizabeth Cary. I did know Ariana's maiden name and I knew that hand painted box had to belong to someone she had loved dearly and probably everything inside.

"That's mine!" the woman bellowed when I stuck it in a bag.

"Oh yeah?" I said. The damn thing had been stuck in the back of Ramon's closet. I pulled out the box, opened the deep bottom drawer and lifted out the liner that I had noticed didn't quite fit right. I opened the letter beneath it. "Then you can tell me what this says."

"I – I."

"That's what I thought?" I put it back in the bag and then put the letter in another smaller bag. "This might help us." I whispered to my coworker, then instructed another to put the box in my truck. It wasn't evidence. It was just something that I didn't want lost or pawned by this hussy when my brother was convicted.

That letter stuck in my head.

I think Ramon is going to kill me one day Gram. I don't know if it will be physically or if he will finally break my heart enough to make it stop beating. He hit me for the first time. He hit me enough to leave a bruise behind. I don't what to do. Please give me a sign.

I guess the only way Ariana thought her grandmother would hear her would be to put that note in the box. I felt her fear in the letter and I wondered why she didn't leave. Then I realized maybe she had been scared of Ramon longer than I knew. Well, at least she'd found some courage in the end of her life.

XXX

I was three weeks from my due date when an agent showed up at my door telling me to get dressed. I was on my way to court to testify against Ramon. They had found enough evidence to suspect him of killing me, but no one knew of my testimony but the prosecutor.

I put on a simple, black dress and I waited outside the courtroom only a couple minutes.

"Your honor, for my next witness. I would like to call – Ariana Reigns to the stand."

A roar erupted through the room the minute I heard my own name. The judge knocked loudly with his gavel and then the doors were opened and I was led in with an escort on each side, but no one was more shocked to see me than the twin brother.

I sat in that chair. I put my hand on the bible and I answered all their questions. I stared directly into Ramon's angry eyes as I told them everything right down to the minute I crawled out of that icy car he'd planned to be my coffin.

When I had finished, I stepped down from that platform, I walked right past him and I sat on the prosecutor's side, right next to Roman who had shed real tears, despite the public venue the moment he saw me. He stood and embraced me, sobbing like a small child the moment I stood beside him. Then we sat down. I wanted to see Ramon go to jail. I wanted to see him pay for all he had done to me but what I really enjoyed, was the way Roman touched my belly and then held my hand. I gazed at him and I no longer saw Ramon. Roman's gaze was much softer when he gazed at me. I saw love. Something I'd never saw in Ramon's eyes.

"Guilty."

So, my husband didn't get sent to jail for murder because I didn't die, but he was found guilty on many counts including attempted murder and he ended up receiving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

I was granted a divorce quickly and I ended up with everything. Isn't that funny. All that Ramon did to try to hold on to every dime of his precious money and he ended up losing it all to me anyway. Geeze. He would have only lost half in a divorce. Some men – I swear. They just don't think things through and some of them really think they can get away with – everything.

Its three years down the road now and Roman and I have been married for six months. And guess what? I'm pregnant – with twins – and they're boys. I'm ecstatic and I'm terrified at the same time and I pray every day. Lord, please let them be fraternal.

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